Life, death and money

Drivers not to blame?

In yet another example of the collectivisation of responsibility, a “pre-eminent road safety expert” (according to a report in today’s Australian newspaper) was critical that short-sighted leadership was failing our drivers and was responsible for a number of unnecessary deaths on our roads.

Lauchlan McIntosh, Australasian College of Road Safety president, said “politicians and bureaucrats needed to stop blaming drivers and focus on practical solutions, such as improving road infrastructure and vehicle technology.”

There you have it. Right from the mouth of a supposed expert. If a driver crashes a car, that is the fault of a bad road or a bad car, according to this person. In fact, drivers should be blamed for crashing cars. If they have crashed, it is because they have not driven in accordance with the conditions.

The cancerous attitude that individuals are not responsible for their actions and someone else instead is to blame, is ever-encroaching on us all. As a consequence, individuals, quite rationally, display a decreasing responsibility for their own actions.